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F-86D Sabre
The North American F-86D Sabre (sometimes called the "Sabre Dog" or "Dog Sabre") was a transonic jet all-weather interceptor of the United States Air Force and others, such as the Japanese Air Self-Defence Force. Based on the North American F-86 Sabre day fighter, the F-86D had only 25 percent commonality with other Sabre variants, with a larger fuselage, larger afterburner engine, and a distinctive nose radome. Background The F-86D Sabre began in life as the YF-95, the first aircraft designed around the new "Mighty Mouse" folding-fin aerial rockets. Begun in March 1949, the unarmed prototype, AF 50-577, first flew on 22 December 1949, piloted by North American test pilot George Welch and was the first U.S. Air Force night fighter design with only a single crewman and a single engine, a J47-GE-17 with afterburner rated at 5,425 lbf (24.1 kN) static thrust. Gun armament was eliminated in favor of a retractable under-fuselage tray carrying 24 unguided Mk.4 rockets, then considered a more effective weapon against enemy bombers than a barrage of cannon fire. A second prototype, AF 50-578, was also built, but the YF-95 nomenclature was short-lived as the design was subsequently redesignated North American YF-86D. The fuselage was wider and the airframe length increased to 40 ft 4 in (12.29 m), with a clamshell canopy, enlarged tail surfaces and AN/APG-36 all-weather radar fitted in a radome in the nose, above the intake. Later models of the F-86D received an uprated J-47-GE-33 engine rated at 5,550 lbf (24.7 kN) (from the F-86D-45 production blocks onward). A total of 2,504 D-models were built. On 18 November 1952, F-86D, AF 51-2945, set a speed record of 698.505 mph (1,124.1 km/h). Captain J. Slade Nash flew over a three km (1.8 mi.) course at the Salton Sea in southern California at a height of only 125 ft (38 m). Another F-86D broke this world record on 16 July 1953, when Lieutenant Colonel William F. Barns, flying F-86D AF 51-6145, in the same path of the previous flight, achieved 715.697 mph (1,151.8 km/h). It's unknown how this F-86D found its way to the world of Ijitsu, it's likely that a wormhole opened up during the Cold War era and at least one F-86D of the JASDF made its way through and ended up in the hands of Isao, who used it as a secret weapon to defend his city. Performance Advantages Being an aircraft of a totally different era, the F-86D Sabre is capable of achieving speeds unimaginable to the pilots of Ijitsu, it's also fairly maneuverable, while not as agile as some of the Yufang's older designs. The Sabre's 70 mm rockets are also very powerful and can be carried in large quantities, this combined with the Sabre's amazing speed makes it an ideal ground attacker and bomber destroyer. Being a Cold War era jet, the Sabre is also equipped with an ejector seat, giving the pilot better survivability. Drawbacks Although the proximity fuse of the rockets allow for some margin of error, the Mighty Mouse rockets are still unguided and therefore are unsuitable for taking out small, fast and agile targets such as fighters. As seen in the trench run of Ikeska, the jet wasted most of its rockets destroying its own city. And after the rockets run out, the F-86D is left without cannons and utterly defenceless. Operators The F-86D Sabre is Isao's "secret weapon" set as one of the last lines of defence of the Ikeska. The jet's body is gleaming silver, with the nose radome painted black, much like the ones that served under the JSDF in reality. The Ikeska Air Force emblem can be seen on both wings and on both sides of the fuselage just behind the cockpit. The vertical stabilizer is adorned with a large grey "A" with various red stripes. A thin, vertical red strip runs down the fuselage just before the tail section. Trivia * The F-86D Sabre is the first true jet fighter to appear in the show. ** It's also the only non-WWII aircraft and the only non-Japanese aircraft the appear the in the show. Gallery Sabre Rocket Tray.png|A close-up shot of the F-86D's rocket tray, only 9 of the 24 "Mighty Mouse" rockets remain. Sabre over Ikesuka.png|The F-86D maneuvering over the skies of Ikesuka, preparing to hunt down more bandits. Sabre Firing.png|The Sabre preparing to fire more rockets. Sabre Tail.png|A close-up shot of the Sabre's tail section. Sabre Dodging.png|The Sabre narrowly dodging the the statue it just destroyed. Sabre Engine Exploding.png|The Sabre's engine exploding after having sucked in too many debris. JASDF Sabre Dog.jpg|A JASDF F-86D Sabre in real-life, this one is found at the Tsuiki Air Base. Category:Fighter Planes Category:Aircraft